ABRSM Piano Grade 5 Theory Study Guide

covers what needs to be memorized/rules to remember: rhythm + time signatures, key signatures + scales, intervals, clefs, chords/cadences, ornaments, stage directions, instruments/transposing instruments, transposition.

C

0 sharps

G

1 sharp

D

2 sharps

A

3 sharps

E

4 sharps

B

5 sharps

F #

6 sharps

C #

7 sharps

C

0 flats

F

1 flat

Bb

2 flats

Eb

3 flats

Ab

4 flats

Db

5 flats

Gb

6 flats

Cb

7 flats

go down 3 semitones from the relative major

how do u find minor keys?

4

semibreve

2

minim

1

crotchet

1/2

quaver

1/4

semi-quaver

½ steps

minor 2nd

1 step

major 2nd

1 ½ steps

minor 3rd

2 steps

major 3rd

2 ½ steps

perfect 4th

3 ½ steps

perfect 5th

4 steps

minor 6th

4 ½ steps

majot 6th

5 steps

minor 7th

5 ½ steps

major 7th

6 steps

perfect 8th

½ step larger than major/minor interval

augmented

½ step smaller than major/minor interval

diminished

tonic

scale degree: 1st. technical name?

supertonic

scale degree: 2nd. technical name?

mediant

scale degree: 3rd. technical name?

subdominant

scale degree: 4th. technical name?

dominant

scale degree: 5th. technical name?

submediant

scale degree: 6th. technical name?

leading note (when semitone under tonic)

scale degree: 7th. technical name?

tonic

scale degree: 8th. technical name?

triad

a chord made of 3 notes, stacked in thirds.

I

tonic

IV

subdominant

V

dominant

V7

dominant 7th

II

supertonic

bottom

when building a chord, which note matters the most in determining the chord’s identity/technical name

imperfect

IV→V

II→V

perfect

V→I

V7→I

plagal

IV→I

a (root position)

root on bottom

b (1st inversion)

3rd on bottom

c (2nd inversion)

5th on bottom

alto clef

middle c on line 3

tenor clef

middle c on line 4